Covid-19 Relief Fund: Supporting Girls

for Education during the pandemic

Tembo Project

The main goal of this project is to raise $1680 from August 1st to September 30th, from the sale of donated second-hand items as well as accepting donations, which will then be given to the “Tanzania Education and Micro-Business Opportunity” to purchase the face masks and hygiene kits.

In the wake of COVID-19, the girls need our support now more than ever. TEMBO plays a vital role in supporting girls and women in the Longido area. Through our partnership with TEMBO, SSIC aims to ease the back-to-school transition for 140 girls by providing them with face masks and a personal hygiene kit.

Why help girls in Longido Tanzania?

In December 2019, Allison Lee – SSIC’s Youth Empowerment Consultant – went to the Maasai district of Longido, Tanzania through the Sprott School of Business’ BUSI 4117 course, From Buckets to Rainbarrels. The purpose of the trip was to help the community develop sustainable ceramic water filters to tackle the issue of lack of clean water access for locals. Below Allison describes her experience;

“ One of the most memorable days during my stay when my peers and I were invited to have lunch in the Bomas with the Massai community. It changed the way I see the world. I saw a group of people who struggle with all the things we deemed as basic human rights in this part of the world, and yet they are battling for themselves to earn those every day.

When we arrived in the community and entered the Boma, in the first 20 minutes or so, I could not see anything..there was no electricity. The lighting of the house was solely dependent on the natural lights. When my eyes adapted to the lighting, I saw no desks, tables, shelves, kitchen. We were invited to sit on buckets that were flipped upside down to be used as a chair. Yet, Mama (how we call the Maasai women) still managed to give us a cooking lesson. We ended up making the most delicious lunch I have ever had during my stay in Longido. However, this makes me realize that the kids there have little to no resources for education due to the condition they are in. There are no school supplies for them to study or review the course at home.

The only way for them to learn would be to go to school. However, given the situation caused by COVID-19, girls now can only attend school if they wear masks. More importantly, this can only be done in the safest way possible if the girls are equipped with soap and hygiene kits”.

“One of the bomas (house) we visited during my time there: standard housing for the Maasai community there”.

SSIC Objectives

  • Through the use of our different social media platforms, SSIC hopes to educate its audience about the reality facing girls across the world while also hoping to prove how easy it is to support those very girls. For instance, in this case, it costs $12: $2 covering the cost of a reusable face mask and $10, covering the cost of a hygiene kit.
  • By the end of this project, we hope to raise enough funds for the girls in Longido. We also hope to spread awareness about the importance of education, how it can help in the battle against the harmful practice of child marriage that prevails in communities, and how easy it is to provide support towards this cause

Why partner with TEMBO?

TEMBO has been sponsoring girls to attend a 2-year training program to become primary school teachers. 100% of the graduates from this program are now working in schools in a village in Tanzania. As of 2020, TEMBO has sponsored more than 395 girls to attend secondary school.

TEMBO offers a ‘Hostel Program’ for girls who are identified to be at a higher risk of being married off by their family. The hostel provides a safe space for those girls and provides them with a positive and supportive environment to help them achieve their academic goals and thereby, securing their future.

SSIC finds that its core values and its organizational mission are compatible with those of TEMBO. The result of this partnership will help improve the lives of many, not only in the immediate future, but also in the long term.

Learn more about Tembo at https://www.projectembo.org/

"Our mission is to elevate communities faced with difficulties by providing access to educational institutions. With the vision to ensure that every individual is a contributing member of the society, by making access to education a right rather than a privilege"

Support TEMBO Project

Please check out our GoFundMe page to donate directly. Our expected outcome from this goal is to improve access to education for the girls in Longido during the pandemic and to ensure that they are safe.